Minority Report-Can We Just Skip the Obligatory Period of Repression? Please?
Minority Report is a good film. It is a good sci-fi film and a good action film. Spielberg definitely puts forth a memorable project and Cruise does a believable acting job. The CG, visual and special effects are all top notch and the movie manages to create a world that looks and feels real and tangible. Minority Report takes place in roughly 2050 and the essence of the premise that a group of telepaths or Precogs can predict a crime so accurately that one can be arrested for crimes they had no yet committed. Heavy stuff, heavy implications and this is what good science fiction does. It makes you think, not just about where tech is headed but how we as humans should be living. Minority report does a nice job on both fronts.
Just before the Precog program is to be implemented across the United States, our hero played by Cruise discovers that sometimes the Precogs do not always agree, thus the basis for the program is obviously quite flawed. To make a long story short, he’s on the run after that.
The film is littered with interesting visuals which focus heavily on our future modes of transportation both on the ground and in the air. There are some truly marvelous shots that weave homes of the past with futurist aircraft in a memorable way. Futuristic displays both holographic and otherwise play a key role in giving the film a unique look and draws you deeper into the story. These displays also set up some of the most blatant product placement yet, for shame. Seriously, it gets a bit much and does pull you out of the story.
Speaking of the story, it is a great one and I don’t want to give away too much. It is fun and original script and you will be entertained for sure. I would, however, argue the following. I am certainly not the first reviewer to wish that Hollywood would make more movies about the future that show mankind achieving a “next step” in our history. It sure would be nice if we could see more visions of the future, in which we get to skip the seemingly obligatory period of repression and pain. Wouldn’t be nice if we’ve already went through that period of our history? Yes we should be warned of the dangers but it sure would be nice to see that “everything” might just work out in the future. That would be pretty cool too.
Everything about the movie is solid and I think it is one of Spielberg’s best. Great visuals, great conceptualization on the vehicles, great jet pack fun by the way, and some crisp and beautiful cinematography by Janusz Kaminski all add up to a great movie with replay value.
Story A-
Acting B+
Visuals A
Originality/Innovation A-
Enjoyability Grade A
Home Theater/HD Factor A-
Overall Grade A-
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